Would life extension be a sin?

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BlueKumul

BlueKumul

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If we discover a technology that will enable us to live on Earth for hundreds or thousands of years, will it be a sin to use it?

I have mixed feelings. Before the Original Sin, God intended us to live on Earth forever, so life extension would merely bring it back. But on the other hand, it can be seen as a sign of disbelief in supernatural heavenly immortality.
 
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You seem to envision it like a sort of Tower of Babel where men construct their own “way” to immortality apart from God. A sin against trust in God’s path, perhaps. But like Babel I don’t think it’ll work. Old age is not the only reason people die. Even if sickness were overcome, sin still remains in the human heart and acts of violence would remain possible. The effects of original sin are sadly here to stay. Our holy hope is in salvation through the CROSS of Christ. Ironic, isn’t it?!
 
BlueKumul said:
If we discover a technology that will enable us to live on Earth for hundreds or thousands of years, will it be a sin to use it?

I have mixed feelings. Before the Original Sin, God intended us to live on Earth forever, so life extension would merely bring it back. But on the other hand, it can be seen as a sign of disbelief in supernatural heavenly immortality.
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No. There is no moral requirement to live up to a maximum number of years. If such a technology is developed that cures all fatal illnesses including aging, it would be morally neutral to use it. It does not take away our mortal nature, and regardless of how long they can make man live, even by curing or slowing aging, man will still die. It will just be due to other causes. And with creation as opposed to man as it is, nature is bound to fight back against such longevity and will find new ways to ensure the penalty of death is still imposed.

God has decreed death for man due to his sin. He has not decreed a maximum time before that sentence is carried out, so even if it is extended hundreds of years, it will still come. Of that, you can be certain. But life itself is a gift from God, and is a good thing. Extending it therefore could not be sinful in the least.
 
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I don’t think it would be a sin, but I’d be reluctant to use it. Most people can’t go less than a hundred years without mortal sin - why would we want to give ourselves thousands of years to potentially fall away from God?
 
Wouldn’t living longer perhaps give a soul more chances to mature in living a sinless life? Mortal sin is i have heard something many grow out of in they started off sinful and lived the final years of their life free of mortal sin, so theoretically if we were given the chance to live 200 years say we might live at least the second half of that lifespan without mortal sin, no?
 
It would not be a sin, because the Catholic church has consistently supported medical science when it doesn’t depend on human death. Vaccines, organ donations, cures to deadly diseases, and even prosthetics are permitted by the church. The idea that making life longer is “against God’s will” is a stereotype by anti-theists.

Nor would prevent someone from going to Heaven or being judged by God, because sooner or later Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. If you use technology to avoid dying then all it means is you’ll be in the “living” category when He returns.
oliver109 said:
Wouldn’t living longer perhaps give a soul more chances to mature in living a sinless life? Mortal sin is i have heard something many grow out of in they started off sinful and lived the final years of their life free of mortal sin, so theoretically if we were given the chance to live 200 years say we might live at least the second half of that lifespan without mortal sin, no?
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That’s true. Not to mention that it gives flagrant sinners more opportunities to repent, and it gives non-Catholics more time to be brought into the faith. And for someone who is already living a pious life it means he’ll be able to lay up more “treasures in Heaven”.
 
oliver109 said:
Wouldn’t living longer perhaps give a soul more chances to mature in living a sinless life? Mortal sin is i have heard something many grow out of in they started off sinful and lived the final years of their life free of mortal sin, so theoretically if we were given the chance to live 200 years say we might live at least the second half of that lifespan without mortal sin, no?
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Maybe it’s the pessimist in me, but I see it as extra time to sin, although it could also be extra time to repent. But it could go either way - some people start out life sinning a lot, only to repent in old age, and some people start off living a pious life only to eventually give up. Perseverance is hard.

To be honest, I think the reason a lot of people stop sinning (or stop certain types of sinning) in old age is not necessarily because they’re more mature, but because the later years offer fewer temptations and fewer opportunities to sin. There’s more chance to sin through sex or money or power when you’re 25 then when you’re 95.
 
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I see what you are saying but i think someone who lived 200 years would probably get tired of sinning, i mean one meets so many young people who find sin thrilling, indeed there are many middle aged people who also find sin thrilling but i think it loses it’s allure the longer one lives, i feel fortunate as i am not even out of my 20s and i already find sin pretty tiring and pointless and i think most people would end up feeling like that eventually!
 
Why would you love to live on earth hundreds or thousands years? Beside the fact that the world would become quickly overpopulated, we know that our final destination is heaven.

Ps1. I come from a family in which females live long (grandmas and aunties 95+) but I see them missing a lot friends and family who passed away before them and getting frail every day even if in relatively good health. One told once ‘It is like to be at a party in which all the people you know are gone home already. You want to go back home soon too’.

Ps2 I recommend you to watch a 1992 movie ‘Death becomes her’ with Meryl Streep, very interesting take on the subject.
 
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You might enjoy the book “Being Mortal” as loosely related to this topic. One thing to consider: the last hundred years of a 200-year life could be lived in very poor health. Blind… bed ridden… etc. To just extend life & not to extend youth my not be such a blessing…
 
Would I want to live so long? Probably not, the world would be changed beyond recognition and it would feel like exile. Imagine how Shakespeare could feel in England of today.

But there is a movement which advocates radical life extension.
 
It will be worse thing on the earth because people will not have time for creativity and life will be boring and desire to death
 
BlueKumul said:
If we discover a technology that will enable us to live on Earth for hundreds or thousands of years, will it be a sin to use it?

I have mixed feelings. Before the Original Sin, God intended us to live on Earth forever, so life extension would merely bring it back. But on the other hand, it can be seen as a sign of disbelief in supernatural heavenly immortality.
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In eternity, living for a thousand years would still be insignificant and inconsequential compared to living 100 years or 1 year.

To the original question: it seems highly unlikely that this would be unethical unless the means of achieving it were unethical. There is a strong possibility that lifespans will be dramatically extended in the future.
 
Life extension will not ‘bring us back’ to the garden of Eden the only way to enter this garden is to die in a state of grace. What ever age we can reach even be it through the miracles of medicine if we can persevere we can have hope. Hypothetically If we lived indefinitely and remained faithful we would see Jesus come again - The important thing I think for Christians is whatever technology brings is just try to be spiritually ready today because our last breath can be anytime He calls us to Him, God has given all the time we need try to ‘thank God for every morning for the gift of life’ (Pope Francis), if there are more mornings never stop giving thanks and us sinners can have every hope in His promises.
 
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